(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania House lawmakers support reinstating work search requirements for unemployment claimants and said loosened regulations will bolster the state’s economic recovery. The Department of Labor & Industry said, however, that the manpower shortage businesses face is not a result of suspended work search requirements or the $300 weekly jobless benefit enhancement …
(The Center Square) – The same day public health officials announced an easing of the last COVID-19 restrictions, state lawmakers moved a bill that would make at least one pandemic rule permanent: takeout cocktails. The House Liquor Control Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a proposal that would allow bars and restaurants to sell as much as …
Read moreTakeout Cocktails on Permanent Track in Pennsylvania
(The Center Square) – A Philadelphia union faces legal action after a New Jersey-based food distributor claims an impending strike violates its collective bargaining agreement. J. Ambrosi Food Distribution filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania last week alleging that officials from Teamsters Local 929 harassed its workers and threatened their jobs if they refused …
(The Center Square) – A proposed program designed to bring conservation-friendly financial resources to farmers across Pennsylvania could come to fruition if recently introduced legislation is enacted. State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Bradford, is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 465, which calls for the creation of an agricultural conservation assistance program. The legislation currently is in …
(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said last week proposed tolls for nine interstate bridges won’t be permanent. PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday that the tolls will remain in effect for the length of the contract the state enters into with the private developer responsible for …
Read morePennDOT Says Proposed Interstate Bridge Tolls ‘Not Permanent’
(The Center Square) – Public health officials in Pennsylvania are saying they will not follow in New York’s footsteps and adopt vaccine passports. Rather, acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday that the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force sees easing hesitancy as its most urgent priority. “Really, what …
Read moreNo Vaccine Passports for Pennsylvania, Health Officials Say
(The Center Square) – Republican senators issued Gov. Tom Wolf an ultimatum on Thursday in yet another effort to derail the state’s entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. In a letter to Wolf signed by 27 members of the Senate Republican Caucus and Sen. John Yudichak, I-Luzurne, the lawmakers said they would not confirm his nominee …
Read moreLawmakers Block Governor’s Pick For Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Over RGGI
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania said 110,000 new residents qualify for financial assistance when buying health insurance in the state-run marketplace thanks to an expansion of credits under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The congressional aid package increases premium tax credits for all income levels in 2021 and 2022, the Department of Health said …
Read morePennsylvania Expands Health Care Aid For 110,000 Residents
(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has launched a new grant program aiming to help the state’s farmers with a variety of projects. “Pennsylvania’s more than 53,000 farms are the backbone of our reliable food system,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “They are the heart of Pennsylvania, just like this $1 million …
Read morePennsylvania AG Officials Launch Grant Program to Help Farmers With Projects
(The Center Square) – While the revenue-generating events schedule within the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center was nixed this past year, the Harrisburg-based venue remains on a solid financial footing, a state official reported recently. The vitality of the 24-acre complex, long viewed as a sign of Pennsylvania’s largest industry, has come into …
(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of Health said Tuesday it has advised all providers to stop using Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after six inoculated women developed rare blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the same as the agencies probe the incidents, …
Read morePennsylvania Pauses Use of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine for COVID-19
(The Center Square) – Despite an influx of COVID-19 vaccines to Pennsylvania over the past month, the rate of residents 65 and older fully immunized still ranks near the bottom of all 50 states, according to federal data. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 47.1% of residents 65 and older are fully vaccinated …
Read morePennsylvania’s Vaccination Rate for Seniors Still Among Worst in Nation
(The Center Square) – A bill pending in the Pennsylvania General Assembly opens a two-year litigation window for survivors of child sex abuse to sue their perpetrators after a botched constitutional amendment set back the issue until 2023. House Bill 951 passed the lower chamber Wednesday on a vote of 149-52. The measure would loosen the …
Read morePending Bill Opens Litigation Window for Child Sex Abuse Survivors in Pennsylvania
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity said Tuesday her office needs a $3 million budget increase to hire more staff, replace equipment and bolster its fraud protection services after a taxing year under pandemic conditions. “I’m a committed fiscal conservative and am dedicated to frugality and the wise use of taxpayer dollars,” she said during …
Read morePennsylvania Treasurer Asks For $3 Million Budget Increase
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday marks the end of a three-week campaign to vaccinate school workers across the state. As of April 2, the administration said more than 112,500 educators and support staff received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The state estimated about 200,000 residents were eligible under …
(The Center Square) – Americans for Tax Reform said Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s plan to raise corporate taxes to fund a $2 trillion infrastructure package will translate into higher electricity bills for Pennsylvania residents. John Kartch, vice president of communications for the group, noted that utility companies pay corporate income taxes, and the rates customers pay remain tied …
(The Center Square) – Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Pittsburgh, said Tuesday his caucus can’t accept a Republican proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour. “We don’t believe it’s the right number, and we believe it needs to be higher, and we think it’s something we need to push for,” he said during …
Read moreMinimum Wage Debate Taking Shape in Pennsylvania Senate
(The Center Square) – A state judge dismissed a lawsuit on Friday that challenged the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s restrictions on Medicaid coverage for abortions. Commonwealth Court President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt said the petitioners – including seven reproductive health care centers that provide 95% of abortions across the state – lack standing because she “can ascertain no …
Read moreLawsuit Challenging Medicaid Abortion Restrictions in Pennsylvania Dismissed
(The Center Square) — A high-ranking Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania said Wednesday the state should withhold funding from schools that don’t return to in-person instruction full time. Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor, R-York, said he will push other House lawmakers to amend the state’s School Code to prevent districts, technical schools, community colleges or universities from accessing $16.6 …
Read morePennsylvania lawmaker says no state funding for schools that stick to virtual learning
(The Center Square) – The effort to extend the litigation window for survivors of child sexual abuse suffered a crushing blow this week after lawmakers blocked an emergency constitutional amendment necessary to get the measure on the ballot in May. Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Greensburg, said Monday her caucus concluded that elevating the amendment …
Read moreEmergency Constitutional Amendment For Sexual Abuse Survivors Blocked in Pennsylvania
(The Center Square) – The American Rescue Plan delivered more than $5 billion in stimulus to Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts, but senators last week urged caution when spending the “windfall.” Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday that some of the money comes with strings attached so that schools …
Read morePennsylvania Senate Cautions Smart Use of Federal Education Dollars
(The Center Square) – A group of Republican senators said this week the state of Pennsylvania should deliver more financial and tax relief to small businesses struggling amid the pandemic. The Prioritize PA: Small Business Initiative, a package of five bills, does just that, says co-sponsoring Sens. Ryan Aument, R-Lititz; Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington; Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg; and …
Read moreFinancial, Tax Relief Proposed For Pennsylvania Small Businesses
(The Center Square) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s call to raise Pennsylvania’s personal income tax amid a broader plan of infusing $4 billion in revenue into the state budget was scrutinized by a number of senators at a recent budget hearing. When Matthew Knittel, director of the state Independent Fiscal Office, went before members of the …
Read morePennsylvania Legislators Push Back Against Wolf’s Proposed Personal Income Tax Hike
(The Center Square) – A report from the Tax Foundation concludes that Pennsylvania will receive more than $13 billion in aid from the next federal stimulus package. This equals about 10,000% more than necessary to cover the state’s $67 million revenue loss, according to the foundation’s analysis. Nationally, states lost a combined $1.7 billion, representing less than …
Read moreReport: Pennsylvania Set For $13 Billion From American Rescue Plan
By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A report from the Tax Foundation concludes that Pennsylvania will receive more than $13 billion in aid from the next federal stimulus package. This equals about 10,000% more than necessary to cover the state’s $67 million revenue loss, according to the foundation’s analysis. Nationally, states lost a …
Read moreReport: Pennsylvania set for $13 billion from American Rescue Plan
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Budget Secretary Jen Swails spent three hours defending Gov. Tom Wolf’s spending plan – a proposal many Republicans criticize as lofty and unrealistic – before the House Appropriations Committee this week. The meeting concluded three weeks of hearings with different state agencies over how Wolf’s $37.8 billion proposal, partly funded …
Read morePennsylvania Budget Secretary Defends Spending Plan, Minimum Wage Hike
(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services needs $941 million extra in its budget this year to service the state’s aging population. For some lawmakers, however, the “overspend” represents years of mismanagement under Gov. Tom Wolf that’s led to a 40% increase in the DHS’s budget since he took office in 2015. …
Read morePennsylvania’s Department of Human Services Defends $941 Million Spending Request
(The Center Square) — Pennsylvania lost 500,000 jobs in 2020, the Department of Labor and Industry said, and there’s no understanding of when – or if – those positions will return. “We don’t know the reason why they were lost or if they are coming back,” acting Secretary of Labor Jennifer Berrier told the House Appropriations Committee …
By Christen Smith (the Center Square) (The Center Square) – Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives pressed the Department of Education on Monday over the governor’s proposed cuts to charter school funding, even as the public districts meant to benefit sit on millions in reserves and federal disaster aid, they said. The questions came …
Read moreRepublicans hammer education leaders over proposed charter school cuts in Pennsylvania
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday that cutting funding and increasing accountability for underperforming charter schools makes better use of taxpayer dollars than the current system. “If we don’t fix the problems in our charter schools now, we are setting our children up for failure and that’s unacceptable,” Wolf said during a news …
Read morePennsylvania Governor Frames Charter School Reforms as Better for Taxpayers
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan duo of senators introduced a measure Wednesday to legalize adult use cannabis in Pennsylvania. It’s the first time a Republican member of the chamber has cosponsored the proposal – typically endorsed solely by Democrats, including Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. “That’s kind of the elephant in the room, …
Read moreBipartisan Cannabis Legalization Bill Emerges In Pennsylvania Senate
By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A bipartisan duo of senators introduced a measure Wednesday to legalize adult use cannabis in Pennsylvania. It’s the first time a Republican member of the chamber has cosponsored the proposal – typically endorsed solely by Democrats, including Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. “That’s kind …
Read moreBipartisan Cannabis Legalization Bill Emerges in Pennsylvania Senate
(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said Tuesday specifics about a plan to toll nine bridges across the state remains under development, though drivers may see the fees as soon as 2023. “Nothing is final,” Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian said during a House Appropriations Committee budget hearing. “Nothing is definite yet.” The plan – a result of …
Read morePennDOT: Plans to Add Tolls to Nine Bridges ‘Not Definitive’ Yet
(The Center Square) – Gov. Tom Wolf signed a 90-day statewide emergency declaration for COVID-19 on Friday, the fourth such order since March 6, 2020. “COVID-19 vaccinations have begun, but we are still in the early stages of vaccine administration,” he said. “We will continue to prioritize a safe, efficient and equitable distribution process, and expect vaccinations …
Read morePennsylvania Gov. Wolf Signs Fourth Emergency Declaration
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania lawmakers wanted to know this week how the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary could justify seeking more for its annual budget at a time when overall inmate populations are dropping. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel is asking for a 2.5 percent increase, and during Wednesday’s budget hearing before the House Appropriations …
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office said Tuesday that raising the state’s minimum wage would stimulate economic growth, even though it increases costs for employers. “It would overall increase economic growth because it is an income transfer from higher income to lower income individuals,” said Matthew Knittel, executive director of the IFO, the state’s independent fiscal …
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania health officials said Friday vaccine providers must hit new administration benchmarks or risk a cut to their weekly supply. Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam told reporters that providers must administer 80 percent of their supply as first doses to residents covered under vaccination Phase 1A within seven days. The …
Read morePennsylvania Health Officials Place New Demands On Vaccine Providers
By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s confident Republicans may support raising the state’s minimum wage, even if it’s to a rate lower than his proposed $15 an hour. “I think Republicans in the House and Senate have already shown an appetite for raising the minimum …
Read morePennsylvania Governor ‘Confident’ Minimum wage Hike Could get Bipartisan Support
(The Center Square) – Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday his administration will lead a joint legislative COVID-19 task force – including lawmakers from both parties – to improve the state’s vaccine rollout. The decision follows months of complaints from Republican majorities in the House and Senate that center on the administration’s unilateral policymaking on pandemic …
By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Shortages of COVID-19 vaccine supply and a “chaotic” online registration process undermine Pennsylvania’s immunization efforts, experts said Monday. Health officials testified before the House Democratic Policy Committee that while the state’s current system needs adjusting, complaints will continue until vaccine supply from the federal government …
Read moreShortages, Chaotic Registration Plague Pennsylvania’s Slow Vaccination Rollout
(The Center Square) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s $37.8 billion spending proposal prioritizes a $2 billion boost in public education funding to tackle crumbling school buildings, stagnating teacher salaries and dwindling achievement among disadvantaged students. But charter schools and the 170,000 students they serve across the state would see their funding cut under the governor’s plan through policies …
Read morePennsylvania charter schools face cuts in governor’s education-focused spending plan
(The Center Square) – More details emerged Wednesday about Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to hike personal income taxes on the top third of earners, claiming in his annual budget address that the rest would see no increase at all. Wolf said charging “financially secure” residents more to help those with less succeed while directing those …
It’s National School Choice week, and public debate about whether lawmakers should prioritize traditional districts or ease limitations on their public and private alternatives seems more fraught than ever. In Pennsylvania, the discourse targets the same players – teachers unions face blame for fighting to keep in-person instruction limited, parents fearful of the virus want …
Read morePennsylvania’s School Choice Debate More Fraught than Ever Amid Pandemic
A new report finds residents in Pennsylvania struggle with obesity, suicide and racial disparities in health outcomes, and the pandemic’s impact on all three could make the problems worse. The data comes from the 31st annual America’s Health Rankings analysis, compiled by the United Health Foundation. While the foundation decided against providing an overall ranking …
Read morePennsylvania’s health indicators brace for impact from COVID-19
Residents now included in Pennsylvania’s expanded first phase of its COVID-19 immunization plan can find available providers through an interactive map on the Department of Health website. The department said last week it is ready to vaccinate residents age 65 or older and those under 64 with preexisting health conditions – including cancer to heart …
Read morePennsylvania Health Officials Launch Provider Map For COVID-19 Vaccinations
President-elect Joe Biden looked no further than Pennsylvania when selecting his administration’s next assistant secretary of health. He tapped state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine for the role over the weekend, describing her as a “historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.” “Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady …
Read morePennsylvania Secretary of Health Levine Tapped for Biden Administration
Revised federal guidance that expands the pool of Americans eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine left Pennsylvania health officials scrambling to rethink their statewide immunization plan. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Wednesday that when the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said residents age 65 or older or with preexisting health conditions …
Read moreRevised CDC Guidance Shakes up Pennsylvania’s Vaccination Plan
By Christen Smith (The Center Square) – A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Pennsylvania state senator won reelection on Nov. 3, tossing out a last-minute challenge from his opponent that delayed his seating in the chamber last week. Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Monroeville, defeated Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli in the state’s 45th district by just …
Read moreFederal Judge Validates Pennsylvania Senator Jim Brewster’s Election Victory
State officials encouraged districts across Pennsylvania to resume in-person learning for elementary students on Jan. 25 as they see fit. “This is not mandatory,” Acting Education Secretary Noe Ortega said Thursday. “It’s up to school leaders whether or not local factors permit kids to return to in-person instruction.” The guidance comes after many schools transitioned …
Read moreState Encourages Schools to Resume In-Person Learning after Jan 25
By Christen Smith (The Center Square) – Pennsylvania state Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Monroeville, who won reelection in November by just 69 votes, won’t be sworn in with the rest of his colleagues Tuesday after his November opponent filed a last-minute challenge against the certified results. Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli petitioned Senate President Pro Tempore Jake …
Read morePennsylvania Senate Delays Seating Member Over Last Minute Election Challenge
By Christen Smith | The Center Square It’s been two weeks since Gov. Tom Wolf banned indoor dining and alcohol sales at restaurants statewide amid an alarming spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations. And for many owners, abiding by the rules – devastating as they may be – remains a top priority, even if it challenges everything …
Read moreRestaurants in Pennsylvania find creative ways to survive amid pandemic restrictions
By Christen Smith | The Center Square The latest round of COVID-19 restrictions helped slow Pennsylvania’s skyrocketing infection rate, health officials said Monday, though residents must “stay the course” to see rules relaxed in the coming year. “It’s critically important to continue our mitigation efforts and really not to get together in gatherings on New …
Read moreDepartment of Health says Pennsylvania COVID-19 Cases Waning After Latest Restrictions